Kids Can't Sit on Santa's Lap? - A Sad Consequence of Child Sexual Abuse

While watching the news this evening, I noticed that much of it was dominated by the child sexual abuse scandals and allegations. Accusations against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky continue to mount, the most recent charge coming from one of his own grandchildren. Now allegations have been raised against Bernie Fine, assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University.

Then there was the news on the sentencing of Michael Jackson's doctor, who administered a deadly dose of a powerful sedative to treat the pop star's insomnia. Yet most would readily agree that lack of sleep was far from being the greatest of Michael's problems. Rather, it was the child molestation charges that followed Jackson till the day he died.

Our family was living and ministering in the Boston area when Cardinal Law resigned in 2002 over the sexual abuse crisis that Law came to symbolize. At that time many parishioners became disillusioned with the Roman Catholic Church and either abandoned religion altogether or began to check out various Protestant churches that formerly were considered anathema.

Going back to the allegations against the college coaches, my wife made a key observation, saying that she would have never guessed that a football coach or some other guy who comes across as "a man's man" would be involved in such a scandal. It raises the question 'Whom can you trust?'

Apparently not Santa. At least that's the way that the British Department of Education sees it. The Telegraph reported that "parents who have offered to don the red suit have been told that they must not allow youngsters to sit on their laps...." While some consider this restriction as going too far, school officials are standing by their decision, saying that they would rather err on the safe side.

While I'm convinced that heavier restrictions should be placed on coaches, priests and teachers rather than Santa (whose time with children is spent with swarms of parents and other adults standing right there), I can appreciate the growing national and international concern for protecting children from sexual molestation.

The Washington Times divulged some unnerving statistics:

As victims of childhood molestation boys face significant and unique barriers in reporting what they intuitively know is inappropriate behavior. Approximately 1,460 children died in 2005 due to child abuse or neglect. Seventy-nine percent of these children were under the age of 4 years old.

Statistically one in eight males are a victim of abuse and a child has to tell seven adults of suspected abuse before he or she is taken seriously.... Rates of suicide among male victims of childhood sexual abuse are 14 times higher than the norm and they are 38 times more likely to die from a drug overdose.

Male victims are also prone to more aggressive behavior than female victims. A male victim is 53% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile compared to others and 38% more likely to be arrested for violent crime as an adult. Victims face a lifetime battle with depression, anger, addiction and possibly suicide....

Statistics and news stories such as these all remind me afresh of just how vital children's ministry is in the local church. I am thankful to have pastored churches that take this ministry seriously by screening all workers, establishing strict guidelines, building trust with parents, keeping one's integrity in tact, and, best of all, showing the pure and holy love of Christ to the children under their care. Despite the many tragic news stories aired daily, there are also unreported acts of genuine love and kindness, not one of which escapes the Lord's attention.

After all, it was Jesus who said,

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea....

See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

- Matthew 18:5-6, 10-14

A Song and a Prayer

Last Friday we had the privilege of seeing our oldest son Matthew graduate from USMC boot camp in Parris Island, SC. This was the culmination of nearly 13 weeks of intense and often grueling training, during which time the only means of communication between us and our son was through "snail-mail" (the U.S. postal system). No phone calls, e-mail, facebook, or Skype - just handwritten letters. Not being able to talk with our son was one of the most difficult aspects of our separation during this training time. At times Matthew's letters had a touch of humor; sometimes they expressed real discouragement and anxiety. In each and every letter, Matthew expressed his continuing need for prayer.

So, like I said, we were thrilled to be reunited with Matthew at his graduation from boot camp, and to bring him home with us for the Thanksgiving holiday. Soon into our long drive home (almost a thousand miles), Matthew asked if he could use my iPod to play some songs over the van speakers. The first song he played was "I Know You're There," by Casting Crowns. The words of the chorus are as follows:

I know You're there,

I know You see me;

You're the air I breathe,

You are the ground beneath me;

I know You're there,

I know You hear me;

I can find You anywhere,

I know You're there.

Matthew said that he thought of this song all the time as he was going through training. Many other Christian songs came to mind as well. This surprised me, as Matthew did not listen primarily to Christian music throughout his high school years, even right up until the time he left for boot camp. Once in a blue moon he would listen to such songs, but in most cases he heard them when we (his mother and I) played listened to them in the house or car.

So I asked Matthew, "Did you remember all the lyrics to this song and the others?" "Yes," he replied. I thought this was really odd, since I had listened to these songs far more than Matthew yet couldn't remember many of the lyrics. Matthew shared that he was equally amazed at this; he wondered how on earth he remembered all the words.

We concluded that the Lord brought them to mind, and that this was in response to the prayers of so many that Matthew would be reminded of, and feel a keen sense of, God's presence throughout his time of training. In his loneliest, most difficult hours, Matthew's heart was renewed and strengthened through the song quoted above, plus the following song entitled "God Will Lift Up Your Head":

Give to the wind your fear

Hope and be undismayed

God hears your sighs and counts your tears

God will lift up, God will lift up, lift up your head.

Through waves and clouds and storms

He gently clears the way

Wait, because in His time, so shall this night

Soon end in joy, soon end in joy,

soon end in joy, soon end in joy.

God will lift up your head.

God will lift up your head.

God will lift up your head.

The above song is based on Psalm 3, wherein David describes God's protection, faithfulness, and encouragement in the face of insurmountable difficulties. Despite his overwhelming circumstances, David testified, "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head (Psalm 3:3).

How good it is to know that God is always there for us, His children. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5), and He has made good on that promise. His Spirit brings to mind such promises and renews our heart as He fills it. What an amazing thing it is also to see the connection between being filled with the Spirit and making melody in our hearts to the Lord (see Eph. 5:18-20).

So much more could be said, but I'll stop here and thank the Lord once again for His abiding presence and for answered prayer. May we all rejoice in these wonderful truths this Thanksgiving season as well as through each and every day.

Happy Birthday, Billy -- and Thank You

Yesterday Billy Graham celebrated his 93rd birthday. I still remember the time that I got to meet Dr. Graham in person at a mutual friend's home. What an unforgettable experience that was.

Over the course of his life, Billy Graham has met personally with twelve U.S. Presidents and has preached the gospel in person to more people than any other person in history. By the time he had turned ninety, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion.

According to the BGEA staff, more than 3.2 million people have responded to Billy's invitation at the crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Countless others have received Christ upon hearing the Gospel preached by Billy over the airwaves or other means of communication.

One such man was my dad. Yesterday I asked him to share how he personally came to faith in Christ through the preaching of Billy Graham. Here's the story, in my dad's own words:

Billy Graham will always have a warm place in my heart, since he was the human vehicle through whom I came to Christ.

It was September 1958, and I had just been discharged a month early from the U.S. Marine Corps in order to attend college at the University of Richmond. My brother and sister-in-law, both Christians, had invited me to stay with them until I could find a place. One afternoon after class, I was sitting in a corner of their living room, thinking about nothing in particular. Then my sister-in-law began recording a radio message by Rev. Graham, intending to send the tape to her unsaved father. So far as I know, her father never received Christ, but God had someone else in mind. The message being preached that day was about King Agrippa, and I can remember to this day the Word smiting my heart when Agrippa told Paul "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The Holy Spirit did His convicting work, I repented of my sin, and was saved then and there.

Countless others have been won to the Lord by Billy Graham, but I'm sure he was never aware that in September, 1958, a young college freshman received forgiveness from the Lord who used that message intended for someone else.

"The Exorcist" Turns Forty

This Halloween I discovered something that might surprise most people: The Exorcist was not intended to frighten its audience.

You're probably thinking, "Yeah, right. It only scared the living daylights out of how many people?"

Still, it's true -- at least according to William Peter Blatty, the guy who wrote both the novel and the screenplay. Before writing The Exorcist, Blatty had been a comic novelist. But while he was a student at Georgetown University in 1941, he got wind of an actual case of demonic possession going on nearby. Blatty remembers thinking, "Someday, somebody's got to write about this, because if an investigation were to prove that possession is real, what a help it would be to the struggling faith of possibly millions, for if there were demons, I reasoned, then why not angels? Why not God?"

Blatty's intention was to write a "novel of faith in the popular dress of a thrilling and suspenseful detective story -- in other words, a sermon that no one could possibly sleep through...." Well, my guess is that most who have seen The Exorcist have not slept through it!

When I was a freshman in Bible college, the professor who taught the angelology/demonology course showed excerpts from The Exorcist to the class. I remember little to none of it -- probably because I had my eyes closed. I had always questioned his wisdom in showing the film, but now that I understand more of its backdrop, I get his reasoning. That's not to say that I agree with it, but I do get it.

Having just preached on Mark 1:21-34 this past Lord's Day, I'm convinced that the record of Scripture provides all the fascinating, factual accounts that we need to understand that demons are both real and powerful. They can completely overcome a person, dominating his thoughts, speech, and behavior. People tormented and possessed by demons tend to be the most repulsive and pitiable. Yet one word from Jesus, "the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:24), sets the demons packing and the people free.

Interestingly, Blatty discovered in his research "that in every period of recorded history, and in every cluture and part of the world, there have been consistent accounts of possession and its symptoms going all the way back to ancient Egyptian chronicles." We who know the Word of God should not be surprised at this, for since mankind's fall into sin, "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:1). But "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Melvin Tinker has noted, "Nowhere in the New Testament are believers ever depicted as living in servile fear of demons, that is precisely the state from which they have been delivered by the gospel."

That's "good news" worth celebrating.